Ties of Family
by Dannrose
Summary: The village is celebrating Stoick's aniversary as Berk's chief. Everything was going fine until something went wrong...very wrong. Now old feuds are revealed and a life hangs in the balance as something they thought was gone reappears with dangerous results. Set in my 'Differently Similar' verse.
1. Party

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another story set in my 'Differently Similar' AU. Unusually enough for this AU Snotlout is actually going to be doing very little even though he's one of the main characters for reasons that will be revealed in this chapter. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I do not own any aspect of How to Train Your Dragon.**_

* * *

 **Party**

It was the anniversary of Stoick becoming Chief and the people of Berk marked the event in the way they liked best.

With a huge party.

Berkians took whatever excuse they could to have a good time and marking the number of years their chief had led them was one that could not be ignored. It was ignored even less when it came not long after Thawfest making it a merry gathering indeed. Gobber had been left in charge of most of the celebration and as usual the blacksmith pulled out all the stops with hall decorations, piles of food and vast amounts of mead.

Everything a good Viking party needed.

* * *

It was the beginning of the festivities and eager Vikings were already gathered around the tables in the Great Hall. Mead was being prepared to be poured out for all the adults ready for Stoick to open things with his traditional speech, after this a toast in his honour would be declared and everyone would take their first drink of the night and Snotlout sat excitedly waiting for this.

By Berkian law he, like the other teens, was not old enough to drink alcohol according to the laws put in place by Hamish the Second. However Stoick's household had a little tradition of their own which was that once they were thirteen Snotlout and Hiccup could take one sip of Stoick's drink just before he made his speech. The first time Hiccup had done this he'd found mead disgusting and didn't want to drink it again but Snotlout had found he quite liked the taste once he'd tried it and he always looked forward to his one sip which was pretty much all he got for a whole year.

He sat bouncing in his seat impatiently and beside him Hiccup shook his head at his younger cousin, "You get way too excited about that sip of mead."

"It's the only taste I get for an entire year. I can't wait for when I'm allowed to drink the stuff properly."

Hiccup grimaced slightly, "Why would you want to drink it? It tastes foul."

Behind him Toothless growled in agreement, the Night Fury had once sampled some mead out of curiosity and had the same opinion his rider did about it.

Snotlout grinned teasingly, "You just don't appreciate fine beverages."

The older boy rolled his eyes with a smile as Stoick appeared and sat down beside him. Immediately Gobber began pouring out his friend's drink and getting the signal others began doing the same around the tables. With his tankard full Stoick pushed it along to his nephew, jokingly making a show of doing it secretly. It wasn't that necessary since everyone knew about it. No one thought that one tiny sip would have any effect on a teenager so they ignored the slight bending of Hamish's rules, despite this Snotlout and Stoick still pretended to do it on the sly because it added to the fun.

Playing along Snotlout gave exaggerated furtive looks around before taking the tankard (he actually needed to hold the thing with both hands) and taking one small sip before passing it back with equal overdramatic secrecy. Not being used to it the alcohol had a burning feel to it but it soon gave way to the actual taste and the teen smacked his lips appreciatively. Hiccup raised an eyebrow at him, "You enjoyed that then?"

Snotlout smiled, "Yep, you should try it again Hiccup. You might like it this time."

The older boy shook his head, "No thanks, I'm never having that horrific stuff ever again."

Snotlout shrugged but didn't respond as his uncle stood and began his opening speech, "Well, it looks like I managed to put up with you lot for another year."

There were laughs from around the hall and Snotlout rolled his eyes good naturedly, his uncle said the same opening line every year yet everyone still found it funny. Letting his attention wander he eyed the untouched food piled upon the tables, he hoped his uncle would hurry up so they could eat. He focused back on his uncle and then frowned as a small pain lanced through his stomach and vanished.

That was odd.

He dismissed it and continued listening to his uncle's words when another pain briefly flared and vanished again. He then felt a small bead of sweat trickle down his face…when had he begun to feel so warm?

He tried to focus again and found himself blinking at the firelight which was now really bright as the room became hazy. He was sweating more now but he barely noticed as he was wondering why his uncle's voice sounded so distant and unclear.

He then realised that everyone was standing for the toast and he quickly joined them but as he stood the room seemed to spin and he only just kept his balance. His uncle was still speaking and Snotlout lifted his mug of cordial ready to join the toast with the rest, the mug was shaking violently, nearly spilling its contents and it took a moment for him to realise that it was because his own body was shaking so much. His legs became weak and wobbly and sweat was running down as his vision became more and more blurred, he hadn't even noticed that his uncle had halted his speech right before the toast and was looking at him in concern along with the rest of the hall. His breath came in short bursts and the room swung back and forth like a pendulum as he wobbled unsteadily.

Then he found himself collapsing backwards, releasing his grip on his mug that fell down with a clatter sending its contents everywhere. He didn't hear the gasps and cries of alarm as he landed on the floor, he saw his uncle's face above him bearing an expression of fear and panic and Snotlout wondered what had happened.

Then darkness claimed him.

* * *

 _ **PS-So that's one party been ruined. Can anyone guess what's happened to Snotlout? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	2. Diagnosis

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello all and welcome to chapter two. First off I just want to state that this story isn't the sequel to the one with the witch, I will be writing one of those at some point but it is going to be set during RTTE whereas this one is during Riders of Berk. Thank you all for your support of the first chapter and I hope you enjoy this one.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Diagnosis**

Stoick frantically shook trying to get a response from the unconscious boy.

Nothing happened and he looked around trying to spot Gothi and saw her hobbling over as fast as possible. He swiftly moved aside so she could examine the teen but he hovered by her shoulder watching fearfully.

He could barely believe how quickly it happened. Snotlout had been completely fine to begin with but in the short time it took to give the speech the boy had rapidly declined and collapsed, Stoick himself had only just noticed something was wrong right before the teen went unconscious and hadn't quite been quick enough to catch him. Fortunately the fall itself hadn't caused any serious damage but the cause of the fall was very worrying indeed.

Gothi examined Snotlout as surrounding Vikings looked on anxiously with some muttering their speculations to their neighbours, suddenly a shocked look slapped itself across her face and she instantly began scribbling in some dirt that had been thrown onto the floor for her. Gobber quickly read the symbols and his face turned white and he looked fearfully at Snotlout before turning to Stoick. The blacksmith hesitated until the chief spoke at him with frantic impatience, "What is it Gobber? What's wrong!?"

The man answered with uncharacteristic quietness.

"Poison Stoick. Snotlout's been poisoned."

* * *

Gothi's hut was silent despite the fact it was currently quite crowded.

Snotlout had been swiftly moved there away from the uproar caused by the revelation that he'd been poisoned. It wasn't hard to work out where the poison had come from as Snotlout had only had the one sip of mead just before he collapsed and no one else had touched it as well. Of course that meant it wasn't a great leap of logic to assume that the actual target for the poison had been Stoick himself and many had already reached this conclusion.

For his part Stoick was more concerned about Snotlout than an attempt on his life but the chief part of his mind reminded him that an assassination attempt had to be dealt with swiftly. For the moment his focus was on Gothi and her ministrations to the boy, Mr Hofferson and Mr Ingerman were down in the village keeping the uproar under control while their chief stayed with his nephew. Hiccup was sat alongside him his face fearful as he stared at his cousin, behind him was Toothless whose expression mirrored that of his rider with a small amount of confusion evident as well. As close to Snotlout's bed as he could get was Hookfang, the Nightmare had determinedly got his large body into the hut to be near his rider and was not going to budge for anyone unless it would help Snotlout get better. Gobber was with Gothi acting as assistant and translator and he nodded to where the elder was currently pouring some concoction down the boy's throat, "It may not be much but we're lucky that the lad only had a sip, if he'd had as much as ye do in one shot Stoick then he'd already be dead."

Hiccup gave a small gasp but Stoick kept his emotions controlled as he spoke quietly, "What's Gothi doing?"

"Giving him a special mixture to help with the poison." The blacksmith answered.

Gothi left Snotlout's side and began using her staff to write on the floor, Gobber quickly began translating to the rest, "She says that she's got the effects of the poison under control for now but it's just a delaying tactic, without a cure Snotlout will still slowly decline and die."

"So what is the cure?" Stoick's voice betrayed a small amount of desperation and Gothi sighed sadly as she reluctantly wrote out her answer.

Gobber briefly closed his eyes as he translated it, "She doesn't know." The man's voice trembled slightly as he continued, "There wasn't enough poison in the cup for her to create an antidote and it's not one she's ever come across before. The only way to save Snotlout is to find out what poison it is and get more from its source so she can make an antidote."

Hiccup shot to his feet, "Then we'll head out right now and start searching!"

Gobber shook his head, "It's not that simple lad, if Gothi doesn't know what the poison is then it likely comes from beyond the Archipelago. Even if ye knew exactly where to find it ye'd never get there and back in time, Snotlout has days left and even with dragons that's not enough time."

Not intending to give up Hiccup furrowed his brow and began pacing, "Then we find it some other way." His eyes lit up in excitement, "We find the poisoner! He probably has more of it than he used in case he needed it. We find him, we find the poison." He began running for the door, "I'll get the other riders and we'll start searching right away…"

"No Hiccup!"

Hiccup stopped dead and stared at his father in disbelief, "But Dad! It might be the only way to save Snotlout!"

The chief moved forward, "I know Hiccup but this isn't a dragon that can be trained or a straight out attack, this is a murderer who'll have no qualms about killing you if you get in his way."

"But Alvin…"

"Is much more likely to keep you alive to further his own goals than kill you." Stoick explained, "He wants to conquer Berk and he'd prefer to have as many people alive as possible so he can rule them. A murderer only kills and the motives of this one are far too unclear to tell what he truly wants. He's tried to kill me but that is all we know and that could be all he wants but something tells me he's after more." He strode towards the door, "I'll take some of our warriors and look for him myself."

"Dad I…"

Stoick placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, "I need you to stay here with Snotlout and look after him. Have Fishlegs look through some of our old medicinal records and see if they have anything about this poison in them, there might be something from long ago that we've forgotten."

Hiccup looked ready to protest further but he instead sighed, "Yes Dad."

Stoick gave him a small smile, "We'll save him son, you'll see."

The chief left the hut and Hiccup sighed again. Gobber shuffled over and briefly gave the boy's shoulder a squeeze, "Ye stay here with yer cousin. I'll let the others know what's happening."

Hiccup nodded and slowly made his way to beside Snotlout as Gobber shuffled out. Sitting in a chair at the younger boy's bedside he idly began petting Hookfang's head as Toothless placed his in his rider's lap. The dragon let out a low rumble and Hiccup answered, "I know bud, I want to do more than this too."

Gothi placed something in his hand and he realised it was a damp cloth, knowing what it was for he began bathing Snotlout's forehead with it to try and cool his fevered brow. As he did so he took in his cousin's condition.

Snotlout was worryingly pale with his skin almost deathly white, he was shivering constantly even as he sweated from his fever. He'd not been conscious since he'd collapsed in the Great Hall and it was likely he wouldn't be again unless they got the antidote, occasionally Snotlout would twitch or move as if he was reacting to whatever dreams that were caused by his fever. Hiccup had never seen his cousin look so ill before and he hated not being able to do much about it.

Refreshing the cloth's coolness in a nearby bucket of water Hiccup reapplied it to Snotlout's forehead determined to do something for him even if it was very small.

* * *

 _ **PS-Yes it was poison but it was kind of obvious. Please let me know what you thought and I'll update soon.**_


	3. Discoveries

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and here is chapter three for your reading pleasure. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Discoveries**

Stoick ordered a search of the island despite knowing that it was unlikely they'd find the poisoner that easily.

Whoever was responsible certainly wouldn't have hung around after performing the deed and may have even already left the island. At this moment in time he was assuming that their poisoner was from another tribe, likely the Outcasts but he wasn't ruling out some of the others. He didn't believe that anyone in his own tribe would be responsible, yes he didn't see eye to eye with absolutely everyone but he was certain that no one on Berk would sink as low as attempting such a cowardly murder.

He was out with his warriors scouring the island alongside them. He was determined to find the one responsible, not only to get a hold of the poison for an antidote but to also deal with the person who'd poisoned his nephew. They may not have intended it that way but their cowardly tactics had given Snotlout only days to live if they didn't get an antidote and that incited Stoick's anger considerably.

Moving through the forest around Berk with axe in hand the chief kept his eyes and ears wide open to the sights and noises of the night-time. He'd separated from some of the others not that long ago to test a theory of his. He believed that because the poisoning attempt had failed then the poisoner was still around and would take the opportunity to try and kill him again. It was a risk but one he was willing to take for Snotlout's sake and he hoped that he was right.

His honed senses missed little as he continued his search and examined every possible hiding place looking for anything his quarry might've left behind unintentionally. Keeping an eye out for disturbed loam, broken twigs or anything else that would indicate someone had been there he moved slowly on.

Suddenly he tensed and in response to his instincts hurled himself to the side.

There was a solid thunk of something striking wood and as he stood weapon held ready he saw a crossbow bolt stuck in a tree right in line with where his neck had just been. Stoick smiled grimly at the confirmation of his theory.

The poisoner was still on Berk.

* * *

Astrid sat silently in her room waiting for some news from those out searching.

Like Hiccup she'd been stopped from searching for the poisoner by Stoick himself, it seemed that all the riders had been given similar orders and they were left waiting for something to happen. Her father was out with the searchers while her mother and grandmother were downstairs discussing what had happened in hushed tones, they were likely forming their own theories on the identity of the poisoner but Astrid had no desire to join them.

She'd been up to see Snotlout earlier that night but she hadn't stayed very long. She would've done but there wasn't much she could do to help and her attempts to comfort Hiccup had been met with no response, in fact she had a feeling that he hadn't even noticed her. She very much understood why and was certainly not going to hold it against him. After all Snotlout was basically dying and she was certain that if she were Hiccup she'd also be too consumed with caring for him to really notice what else was happening. In the end she decided she was more in the way than anything else there and returned home where she could be on hand ready in case she was needed. Fishlegs was buried in Berk's records looking for some mention of the poison that could help them cure it and it was unlikely he'd stop searching until he found something or exhausted every book, scroll, stone tablet and piece of written on parchment they had.

This in mind Astrid came up with a way to help out even if it was very small. Fishlegs would likely wear himself into the ground finding a solution so she could help him keep going, he probably hadn't eaten since the party so he would be pretty hungry. She could get him some food and go up and give him a hand with his search, she wasn't as enamoured with study as he was but she could read no problem and two people looking would make things go quicker.

Getting up she hurried downstairs and towards the door, her mother saw her leaving, "Astrid, where are you going?"

She paused and turned to answer, "To help Fishlegs search through the records."

"But it's so late dear. He'll have surely gone home to bed by now."

The girl shook her head, "He won't have done, not when the antidote for Snotlout could be found in the records. He won't stop until he's found it so the least I can do is help him." She sighed, "Besides, I need to be doing something to help."

With that she left the house and headed towards the Great Hall.

* * *

Across the other side of the island Gobber was out searching along with Mr Ingerman and Mr Hofferson.

The three of them had taken a route along the coast looking for places the poisoner may have berthed, been dropped off or left the island. It was slow going because Berk's rocky coastline had many little coves, inlets and bays that could act as good places to hide a small boat. Each one was checked thoroughly before they moved on but they'd found nothing of use so far.

The next one was actually so small it could barely be counted as a cove but they all agreed that it was worth checking. Making their way down the narrow crack that led to it Gobber grumbled slightly as he only just squeezed his way through, "Are ye sure someone could've used this cove? This passageway's so small I doubt anyone would bother."

Behind him Mr Ingerman agreed as he pushed his slightly larger body through, "I have to admit that it seems unlikely anyone would pick this one, it doesn't lend itself to a quick getaway."

Mr Hofferson had a similar build to his daughter and he was having little difficulty squeezing through the small passage, he called back to his two companions, "Just because it doesn't fit the classic Viking build doesn't mean people won't use it. For all we know our quarry could have a build smaller than Hiccup's which would make this a perfect place for him to slip onto the island unnoticed."

Mr Ingerman heaved himself past a particularly narrow section with a grunt, "Maybe, but if this passage gets any narrower then I'm going to get stuck."

Mr Hofferson grinned, "Don't worry, we're just about through."

In a few moments they came out into the cove. It was very narrow with a thin sandy beach and tall rocky walls. Just above the tideline sat a small boat that was very much a clue in their search.

Immediately Mr Ingerman began examining it with an experienced eye and Gobber joined him as Mr Hofferson did a search of the place for anything else of note. Finding nothing in the rest of the cove he joined the other two and saw them both wearing frowns, intrigued he glanced between them, "What is it, do you recognise the boat?"

Mr Ingerman's frown became more pronounced, "Yes but I'm not really sure what to make of it, I mean it doesn't make sense for it to be that make."

Astrid's father looked confused, "What do mean? What make is it?"

Gobber gnawed his lip worriedly, "It's a very familiar make and from what we can tell this particular boat is pretty old but I don't understand how its here."

"Why?" Mr Hofferson demanded and Mr Ingerman looked at him with a troubled expression.

"It's one of ours."

* * *

 _ **PS-So any guesses on who the poisoner is? Don't worry I've not left much in the way of hints yet. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	4. Thoughts

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. Not much in the way of main plot happens this time around but we see the twins and you a little bit of my Berk's history. Interesting to see a couple of people's theories on who the poisoner is though I not saying if anyone is right. I can confirm that it most definitely not the witch from Homo-Draconis because this story is set before that one so she doesn't have anything against the people of Berk yet. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Thoughts**

Barf and Belch skimmed over the ocean heading back towards Berk. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were riding their dragon and over in the east the sky had lightened considerably as the night finally gave way to dawn.

Despite being up all night the twins were not tired in the slightest having done many an all-nighter in the past. They'd actually spent most of the night being unusually productive as they'd gone out on Gothi's orders to collect herbs for her from Healer's Island, they'd followed her instructions to the letter and collected as much as they could of everything the Elder needed for the days ahead. Normally Gothi didn't require that much of the herbs they'd gathered but Snotlout needed regular doses of her medicine to keep the poison in check so her demand for them had increased dramatically. At any other time they would have considered such gathering work as boring but it was helping Snotlout stay alive so they'd taken the task with no complaints and stayed entirely focused on it.

The twins were far from the most brilliant of people but you couldn't deny that they gave it their all when their friends were in serious danger.

Berk had risen up from the horizon and Barf and Belch sped up upon seeing it, they too had realised something was very wrong and they turned their flight towards Gothi's hut with no prompting from their riders. Landing outside it the twins dived off their dragon and hurried inside with the herbs shouting as they went, "WE'VE GOT THEM!"

Toothless shot round with a growl at their dramatic entrance but quickly calmed when he saw it was just them, Hiccup didn't even bat an eyelid from where he was still sat next to Snotlout's bed and Hookfang was just as distracted by his rider's condition and didn't respond either. Gothi hobbled over and they quickly opened the satchels of herbs with Tuffnut speaking worriedly, "These are the right ones right? Please tell me we didn't screw it up!"

Gothi gave them a quick inspection and nodded with a tiny smile of approval and Tuffnut sighed with relief, "Oh thank Thor! I would've freaked if we got it wrong."

Ruffnut began speaking eagerly, "Okay, we got them. Is there anything else we can do to help? Like mash them up or boil the water. Oh! we could mix them for you or we could…OW!"

Gothi interrupted Ruffnut's ongoing words with a sharp 'bonk' of her staff on the girl's head, the Elder then sighed and used her staff to gesture to some empty buckets. Getting the message the twins grabbed the buckets, "We're on it ma'am." Tuffnut called back.

"Yeah." Ruffnut agreed, "We'll fill these up and fetch some ice to keep the water cool longer. We've got this!"

In seconds they were out the door, on their dragon and flying off to complete their next task.

* * *

As the door slammed behind the twins Gothi gave a sigh and another small smile, she had to admit they were doing everything they could to help. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

She set about preparing more of the medicine, Snotlout would need another dose soon, and looked over at her patient. The boy's breathing was as laboured as it had been ever since he went unconscious, the fever was still present but for the moment it wasn't getting any worse and Hiccup's attempts to cool it seemed to be helping. He was still shivering despite the pile of blankets on him and his skin was still unnaturally white but the fact he hadn't declined further than that was a good sign.

She focused her attention on Hiccup. He had barely moved ever since his father had left the previous night except to cool his cousin's brow and hadn't said anything to her or anyone else. He'd not even noticed Astrid when she'd visited last night and hadn't responded at all to the noisy arrival and exit of the twins just now. Most would've said that it was because he was so focused on Snotlout he'd blocked everything out and it was true to an extent but Gothi knew there was more to it than that. She could see in his eyes that he was thinking of another way to approach the situation even as he looked after his younger cousin.

He may have been denied going out and searching for the poisoner but that wasn't stopping him from doing some very serious thinking about the situation.

She could guess what his thoughts would be about; who was the poisoner? Where was he from? How did he get the poison in the tankard? Where was he now and what was his motive?

All of these were very good questions indeed and Gothi commended him for taking the time to consider them. The answers could well be the key to saving Snotlout's life and the Elder herself had also been giving them considerable thought as she'd continued her work as a healer. Once she'd given the teen his next dose of medicine she was planning to use her skills as a seer to try and answer some of those questions, she hoped that doing so might grant them some clue on how to proceed in order to save him.

Not only was he still a child but he was also the only full blooded Jorgenson left, the rest of his clan had gradually died off through natural causes, dragon attacks and other assailants. His grandmother was technically a Jorgenson but that was through marriage and Hiccup was only part Jorgenson because of his mother, as such Snotlout was the only one left to carry on the family name and having him die before having any children of his own was a harrowing thought.

Jorgen had been one of Berk's founders alongside the Haddocks, Ingermans, Hoffersons and the other main clans of Berk, he'd been considered one of the greatest warriors the village had ever had and that was the reason the Jorgensons had always been so focused on being the best. No one actually knew who Jorgen was before he helped found the village or what his original family name had been but to honour his role in founding it Berk's first chief named him a patriarch of his own clan who'd be known as Jorgenson and thus the clan began. A Berk without the Jorgensons was unthinkable and while some of the clans didn't get on with them that well there had always been an understanding that, arrogant or not, the clan had produced some of Berk's best warriors and were all loyal to the village.

The medicine ready Gothi proceeded to administer it to Snotlout. As she did so she prayed that they would somehow save him, that he wouldn't be taken to Valhalla just yet and be given the chance to continue on into a full life. She didn't want to see a child die before she did, she didn't want to see Stoick's grief upon losing his nephew or Hiccup's if he lost one of his most loyal friends and she certainly didn't want to see how Hookfang would react if his rider died but she also didn't want to witness the Jorgensons vanish from the world entirely.

She was certain that somehow Berk would collapse if they did.

* * *

 _ **PS-A little bit of insight from Gothi there. I hope you all liked that and please keep your guesses on who the poisoner is coming as there will be hopefully more clues next chapter.**_


	5. Records

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. We drop in on Fishlegs this time around and see some of his thoughts on what's happening. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Records**

As Stoick entered the village late morning he was met by Gobber, Mr Ingerman and Mr Hofferson.

The three men had sailed the boat they'd found round to Berk's docks and had gone in search of their chief to report their discovery. It was Gobber who spoke first, "We think we've found how our poisoner came to Berk and we're certain they're still here!"

Stoick simply nodded, "I know they are Gobber. They fired a crossbow bolt at me while I was searching the forest."

Gobber's eyes widened, "Yer serious Stoick? That means they'll likely try again so ye've got to be careful."

Stoick simply pushed his concern aside to focus on his main issue, "What did you find?"

Gobber began leading him down to the docks, "We found a small boat that could easily be handled by one man. It was in a small cove that can only be accessed from the land by a narrow passage which is likely why they chose it."

"Did you recognise the make?"

"Yes," Mr Ingerman answered, "but it's a worrying make because it's one of ours."

Stoick stopped dead at that statement, "One of ours, are you saying that the poisoner is possibly someone on Berk?"

The man shook his head, "I can't really say for certain but it's still unlikely. All of our vessels are accounted for and this one is very old, at least fifteen years if not older so it could well be one we lost some time ago and someone else has been making use of it."

"Was there anything else inside the boat?"

It was Mr Hofferson who answered this time, "Nothing that can tell us who it is, only the things you'd expect to find on a boat like that. Whoever owns it must have taken all of their things with them somewhere else but at least we now know they have to be somewhere on the island."

They'd reached the docks and Stoick eyed the boat they'd just be talking about seeing for himself everything they'd said. He pulled something out the crossbow bolt that had been shot at him and showed it to Gobber, "Do you recognise this Gobber?"

The blacksmith took it and examined it with an experienced eye, "Well it's from a crossbow but I can't say I recognise who made it. It definitely isn't from an Outcast and it's not from any other tribe we know of."

Mr Hofferson looked at the blacksmith incredulously, "You can tell the difference between crossbow bolts, aren't they all the same?"

Gobber waved the crossbow bolt at him, "Every blacksmith makes things slightly differently and I know the work of most of the tribes in the Archipelago." He turned back to Stoick, "This bolt certainly isn't from the Archipelago Stoick, I can tell ye that much."

"So our poisoner used an old Berk ship and has weapons from beyond the Archipelago." The chief summarised, "This hasn't done much to reveal their identity but we can at least rule out a couple of likely people." He began giving instructions to the others, "Keep up the search and increase patrols around the village, no point in making it easy for our foe to sneak in. I'll head up the search myself."

Mr Hofferson and Mr Ingerman nodded and headed off but Gobber stayed behind, "Are ye sure about leading the search yerself? The poisoner could attempt to kill you again."

"That's what I'm counting on Gobber." Stoick answered, "Another attempt could allow me to find out their identity and I doubt the searchers will find anything without my presence to draw the poisoner out."

"It's very risky Stoick." Gobber warned.

The chief gave a small nod, "I know."

* * *

Fishlegs was surrounded by piles of old bits of parchment which held all of Berk's written records.

The records held everything from written law to old tales, botany records to ancient recipes as well as several diaries and personal writings of various chiefs and Elders. Much of what was there hadn't been touched all that often but the village council had agreed that what was there had to be kept just in case and Fishlegs was hoping that the old writings held something of use to Snotlout.

Astrid had come to help him and she had started by getting things into some sort of order while Fishlegs read through certain records. He'd started with the botany writings in case the poison had come from some sort of flower or plant that had been encountered before but he kept aside some of the writings about other animals as the poison could have been somehow been taken from them. He also made note of possible legends or poems that might have some clues to what they needed as he saw them while seeking out the other writings. Astrid had brought food with her when she joined his search and their plates were carelessly left to one side once they'd finished with them and they were rapidly vanishing under the piles of parchment.

Putting aside another botany book that had proven unhelpful Fishlegs gave a sigh, he was quickly running out of botany writings and he'd already confirmed that the medicinal ones were no good. He wasn't that surprised by their lack of helpful information because Gothi didn't know how to cure the poison and she knew everything Berk had discovered when it came to medicine and the records were unlikely to hold anything she didn't already know. Astrid had looked up at his sigh and she spoke reassuringly, "There must be something amongst all of this Fishlegs. We'll find it."

He smiled at her words but they did little to raise his hopes. Though there were a lot of bits of parchment with a broad range of topics Berk's records weren't that extensive, most of the skills for their daily lives were taught via word of mouth and practical teaching and not written down. Most of their records were to do with things not related to their day to day lives. The most developed teaching book they had was the Book of Dragons and Bork writing it was one of the reasons he was so celebrated because it was rare to have a book dedicated to simply holding information on one subject. This meant that their pool of information was fairly small, which was the reason why Fishlegs got so excited when Trader Johann had such books on his ship. Fishlegs own personal store of books wasn't any use because he'd read them enough to know that none of them held the information they needed.

Moving onto the next set of writings Fishlegs scanned through them and found they were equally unhelpful. As much as he wanted to think otherwise he seriously doubted that Berk's records would be helpful at all and he wished that Stoick would let them help with the search for the poisoner. Normally he'd not be so eager to deliberately go looking for a murderer but with Snotlout dying he was feeling a little less cautious than normal. It hadn't been very long since all the issues Thawfest had brought to light and Hiccup and Snotlout were still slightly uncomfortable around the other teens. Having actually got to know Snotlout a little better in recent days Fishlegs would outright say that the Dragon Academy wouldn't be the same without him there, in fact he was sure the team wouldn't do nearly as well without their youngest member and his slightly reckless ways. Hiccup would be devastated at the loss of his younger cousin and it was likely the tenuous friendship the teens had would fall apart. Fishlegs couldn't bear to see that happen and certainly not when one of his friends had died, Stoick would be crushed and Fishlegs was certain that the other Riders would be hit hard as well.

Casting the parchment aside he sighed again as he reached for the next one. The more he read the more he felt that they wouldn't find the answer here and he felt the urge to head out on Meatlug and join the search regardless of instructions. It was a very uncharacteristic urge but Snotlout had days left if he was lucky so he wanted to get something done now. He looked up at Astrid who was still sorting out the various piles, if he was feeling impatient then she was likely even more eager and Hiccup would be twice as eager as her. He had a feeling that Stoick's commands were going to be thrown out the window pretty soon and for once he wouldn't be the voice against such an action.

He wanted to save Snotlout as much as they did.

* * *

 _ **PS-So there we are and I'll move the plot along a bit more next chapter. Please let me know what you thought as well as any additional theories on the poisoner's identity and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	6. Secrets

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. The plot moves on a little more and we see a family moment between Hiccup and Snotlout. Thank you for your continued support and theories on who the poisoner is and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Secret**

Astrid put down another pile of freshly sorted parchment which had been completely useless to her. She and Fishlegs had been searching through the records ever since the previous night and had still found nothing.

Stoick had stopped by to see how they were getting on and he'd passed on the little information they'd gathered, he didn't stay long and soon left to check in on Snotlout before heading out once again. The twins had also joined them briefly to let them know how Snotlout was doing before flying off to Healers Island for Gothi again. Largely Snotlout was the same as he had been but Gothi was having to increase the dosage of his medicine, he hadn't woken up yet and his fever was still very much present so he was still in danger but he hadn't declined much yet. They also mentioned that Hiccup, Toothless and Hookfang were still by his bedside and hadn't moved but they did eventually convince them to at least eat something after a lot of bullying and pleading. Astrid and Fishlegs had pushed on with their task but both were coming to the conclusion that they weren't going to find any answers here.

Standing the girl spoke to her friend, "I'm going to see if the Chief want's some help with the search."

Both of them knew that she was actually planning on joining the search regardless of what Stoick said but instead of trying to stop her like he normally would Fishlegs also stood, "I'll come too. We've exhausted all the likely records so we need to approach this from a different angle."

The two friends left the storage for the records in the Great Hall and headed off down into Berk.

Night was rapidly falling outside and the village was dark and quiet apart from the night watchmen on their patrols. Stoick had increased the number of watchmen since the poisoning so there were more about than usual. Several others were out searching for the poisoner with Stoick and everyone else was already in their houses for the night.

As they approached the chief's house Fishlegs suddenly stopped and held Astrid back as his keen eyes spotted something. He wordlessly gestured towards the house when she looked at him and soon she also saw what he had.

Someone was near the house.

It certainly wasn't Stoick since the figure was too small and it was too tall to be Hiccup, it definitely wasn't Snotlout for several obvious reasons and it certainly wasn't Gobber who was about the only other person who'd have any business being at Stoick's empty house. In short it was someone shady and both Fishlegs and Astrid had come to the same conclusion.

The poisoner.

No doubt they were setting up for another assassination attempt and they'd caught them right in the act. Quickly Astrid signalled to Fishlegs and the boy nodded to indicate he understood. Silently they began to creep up on the intruder each approaching from a different side and they were making good process until Fishlegs accidently knocked some loose pebbles on the ground creating a small noise.

Instantly the figure froze and likely looked their way because he shot off away from them at a sprint. Astrid charged off after them, determined not to lose them, as she called back to Fishlegs, "Find Stoick NOW!"

Within moments she'd vanished after the figure and Fishlegs obediently ran off to get Meatlug so he could fly out and find the chief.

* * *

Far above the village in Gothi's hut Hiccup was still sat by Snotlout's bedside.

Gothi had remained dutifully attentive to the younger cousin's needs but had begun growing concerned when Hiccup and the two dragons present hadn't eaten. Thankfully the twins had somehow convinced all three of them to eat and drink meaning she didn't have to worry about getting Hiccup as another patient.

Currently the boy was bathing Snotlout's brow as he had been pretty much since the younger boy had become ill, saying very little as he focused on his cousin. Hookfang was basically curled around the bed and Gothi had long since stopped the dragon from resting his head on the covers right alongside his rider. Toothless mostly stayed near Hiccup but his gaze was usually on Snotlout's feverish form, occasionally he would give a worried grunt and nuzzle the boy's face only to rumble sadly when he got no response. One time Hiccup had actually given in and fallen asleep while caring for his cousin and Gothi had found the Night Fury gently licking Snotlout's forehead to try and keep it cool the way his rider had been doing. She was going to stop him but then she saw that it actually seemed to be working slightly so she left the dragon be until Hiccup woke up again.

Gothi herself was attending to making another medicine dose for Snotlout and she hoped the twins would return soon with her requested herbs because she'd just used the last of them. Everything was quiet in the hut with Snotlout's laboured breathing being the most notable noise until another sound attracted their attention.

A whimper.

It was definitely a human whimper and Gothi immediately looked towards her patient. Snotlout was moving about in his bed whimpering fearfully and occasionally giving a small cry. He was most certainly still unconscious and Gothi hobbled over and swiftly placed her hand on his head to check his temperature. It had increased and she knew that his fever had gotten worse, his movements became more violent and it was clear his fevered dreams were greatly distressing him. They had to keep him calm otherwise he could speed up the effects of the poison through his panicked movements and make it harder for her to treat him.

Hookfang was well ahead of her and he'd already begun nuzzling his rider's face and growling what sounded like a song. Hiccup began to bathe his cousin's brow once more and began singing in time with Hookfang's growls.

" _Flow'rs of the forest_

 _Are bright in the spring,_

 _Wake with the dawn_

 _Hear a lone skylark sing._

 _Brooks gaily babble_

 _O'er hillsides so green,_

 _Streams ripple secrets_

 _Of what they have seen,_

 _Small birds give voice_

 _Mid the leaves of great trees,_

 _Which rustle softly_

 _In time with the breeze._

 _I'll add my music_

 _For what it is worth,_

 _And sing just for you, boy,_

 _The song of the earth._ "

His voice wasn't the most amazing voice in the world but as Hiccup sang Gothi saw Snotlout slowly calm and look his cousin's way as if listening to the song, partway through Toothless had somehow picked up the tune from Hookfang and the two dragons harmonised their growls to supply the melody as Hiccup sang the words. A stillness seemed to hang over the hut as the last notes died away and Gothi stood in awe at how easily it had calmed Snotlout down.

As if suddenly realising she was there Hiccup swallowed slightly and quietly gave an explanation, "I once heard dad singing it to Snotlout to calm him after he'd had a nightmare when we were younger and I accidently overheard him singing it a while ago. He's got a really good voice but I knew he'd be embarrassed if I ever told him that I knew about it so I never have. I think it's one his mom used to sing to him when she was still alive." He looked across at Hookfang, "I never realised that Hookfang knew it as well, I guess he thought it was the best way to calm Snotlout and comfort him."

The Nightmare rumbled quietly and softly placed his head on Snotlout's chest. Hiccup looked down sadly and Gothi put a gentle hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly, the boy gave her a grateful nod and resumed bathing his cousin's brow and Gothi could hear him humming the tune quietly to him.

She shuffled back over to where she'd left the half-finished medicine feeling very privileged to have seen that family moment between the cousin's and their dragons.

* * *

 _ **PS-A little dose of family fluffiness and some more details on the poisoner for you all. Please let me know what you thought as well as your theories and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	7. Chase

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. Apologies for the slightly longer wait for this one but I eventually managed to sit down and write it. This chapter gives more hints as to the identity of the poisoner as a few more clues are found. Thank you all for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Chase**

Stoick led his warriors deeper into the forest as they continued their search for the poisoner.

He'd briefly visited Snotlout after his discussion with Gobber and the others and Gothi had told him that the boy was still largely the same but she was certain that he would get worse soon. Time was short and they needed to find a sample of the poison soon so Stoick had quickly set out once more.

They'd been out searching most of the day and found little to point them in the right direction. They'd moved further and further away from the village and, remembering the size of the passage to where the boat had been found, they thoroughly checked smaller nooks and crannies. Night began falling once more but still they kept searching knowing that resting would take up valuable time, they hoped they might have more luck in the dark because that's just the sort of cover someone like an assassin would want in order to move about undetected.

Stoick had just started to think about splitting away from the group again to draw out their foe when rustling was heard nearby. Moving quickly Stoick signalled his warriors who quickly took cover and hid, joining them the chief kept his eyes fixed on the direction the rustling had come from and waited.

There was more rustling and the pounding of feet was heard and the warriors prepared themselves. It was likely the poisoner but if it was they certainly weren't being that stealthy, it might have been because they were now quite far from the village so their foe didn't think that they had to be careful. This thought in mind Stoick braced himself as the rapid footsteps grew louder and the moment a dark figure appeared he pounced.

With a true Viking cry the chief dived upon his foe his weapon ready to beat them into submission, his warriors followed his lead as they also leapt out of hiding in order to support Stoick if necessary. All this frantic activity suddenly halted at the shrill squeak that came from their captured enemy.

"CHIEF IT'S ME FISHLEGS! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

"FISHLEGS!?"

The chief got off the cowering boy his face a picture of intense annoyance, "What are you doing out here!?"

Still shaking shaking with terror the teen blurted everything out in a rush, "Me and Astrid saw someone suspicious hanging around your house. We thought it might be the poisoner attempting to booby trap your home and we tried to sneak up on him but we were spotted. Astrid sent me to find you while she pursued them so I got Meatlug and hurried out to find you."

Stoick's annoyance instantly turned into urgency and he grabbed the boy's shoulder, "Did you see which way they went?"

Fishlegs nodded furiously, "Towards the mountain."

The chief instantly turned to the rest of his warriors, "We haven't got much time so we need to reach the mountain as quickly as possible, preferably before Astrid catches up with the assassin and ends up in trouble."

Obeying immediately they headed off in the direction of the mountain while Stoick hung back to give some different orders to Fishlegs, "Go back to where you saw the poisoner and see if he left anything to identify him, he might have left something behind when you and Astrid startled him."

Nodding in response Fishlegs hurried off to no doubt meet up with Meatlug and head back to Berk while Stoick swiftly went after his warriors in hopes of finding their foe.

* * *

Astrid had stayed hot on the tail of the poisoner despite their attempts to lose her.

She could actually move faster than she was but she held back her speed to reserve her energy, she'd need it for when she caught up with her quarry who was most certainly going to put up a fight. Dodging around trees the chase continued on into the forests of Berk and Astrid dimly registered that they were heading towards the mountain.

Heading towards was a bit of a loose term because in reality the whole island was effectively the mountain so it was hard to not be heading towards the mountain. However when Berkians spoke of the mountain they meant the actual sheer cliffs, treacherous crags and dangerous trails that were on the mountain side itself. Few Vikings actually went up towards the summit even though it was a challenge because they all had been taught to have a healthy respect for the mountain that dominated the centre of their home. Its side were steep and rocky, exposed to the elements and its upper reaches were permanently covered with icy snow. Superstitious tales also existed about it and some claimed that its peak was the domain of ghosts and monsters such as trolls who would happily prey on an unwary Viking who'd dare violate their home. Though few people actually believed such tales you couldn't deny the dangers of the mountain, loose rock and hidden gullies could easily claim the lives of climbers and the freezing cold of the upper slopes would grant a slower death, even the Riders stayed away from the summit despite having dragons and not even the twins would consider flying to the top to be a remotely good idea.

Despite all this the poisoner was still heading in that direction with Astrid close behind and she noticed that they were slowly heading upwards. As the pursuit continued the trees began to thin out and the ground became rockier and steeper and soon they were out in the open heading for the proper mountainside. Scrambling over scattered boulders and running over coarse grass they kept going, their way being lit by the bright moon above them, Astrid put on a burst of speed trying to catch up with her quarry before they came to the mountain but they did the same showing that the poisoner had also been reserving some of their energy.

Diving between two tall rocks the poisoner shot off up the path beyond as Astrid screeched to a halt right in front of them. She wanted nothing more than to keep up the chase but the rocks marked the beginning of the trail that was supposed to head for the summit and she was nowhere near well enough prepared to start the climb. She stamped her foot in frustration then took some time to catch her breath as the exertion of her chase caught up with her.

As she did so she wondered what to do next. It was likely that the poisoner was hiding out somewhere further up the trail and had chosen this place because they knew few Berkians came this way, that suggested local knowledge which tallied with the old Berkian boat they'd found and made it more likely that it was a former member of the tribe. Who was still a mystery and didn't explain what they had against Stoick and why they were trying to kill him now.

She settled down on a nearby boulder keeping watch on the start of the trail, as far as they knew that trail was the only safe way down from the mountain so the poisoner would have to come down again sometime. Fishlegs had likely found the chief right now so Astrid decided it was best to wait here until he showed up, then they could head up the mountain after him.

Alert despite the late hour she kept watch.

* * *

Fishlegs had got back to Berk as quickly as he could eager to start searching for clues around the chief's house.

The first thing he did when he got there was to carefully check the house itself to see what the assassin had done to it, largely to undo whatever trap had been set but it could also give a hint as to who they were dealing with. Apparently they'd interrupted the poisoner before he'd done anything serious and everything was as it should be so Fishlegs then focused on the area around the house.

He found footsteps where the poisoner had been standing and he roughly measured them, the person had smaller feet for a Viking but not by much and the depression depth suggested a lighter weight than most Viking adults, of course the grass was springy which would affect the results a bit so it wasn't a very accurate measurement. He searched around the area a bit more looking for any other clues but was finding nothing of use until Meatlug started wagging her tail excitedly, she'd also been snuffling around and her excited expression indicated she'd found something she wanted her rider to see. Hurrying over Fishlegs looked down at what she'd discovered.

A small and very old book.

Carefully picking it up the boy began leafing through it and despite the circumstances he found his excitement building rapidly as he read snippets of what was written on the pages. It was an ancient journal that detailed a great many things of its owner's life and experiences, their thoughts, feelings, events they'd attended and even arguments and annoyances they'd had. However it was the owner itself that really got Fishlegs excited and he was certain he'd just discovered the most important document to Berk since the Book of Dragons.

The journal of Jorgen himself.

* * *

 _ **PS-So how's that for a discovery and does it affect anyone's theory on the poisoner's identity? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	8. Time

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello all and welcome to the next chapter. Largely with Stoick this time around though we check in on Snotlout at the end. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Time**

Dawn was breaking by the time Stoick and his warriors reached the start of the mountain trail.

Leaping off the boulder where she'd been keeping watch most of the night, Astrid hurried to meet them, "Chief, the poisoner headed up the trail!"

Stoick nodded his understanding as he gave orders to the rest, "I want four of you to keep watch on the trail entrance, you two can head back to Berk and fetch some climbing gear while the rest of you take a short rest." He turned back to Astrid, "Astrid, I want you to head back to Berk as well. Fishlegs was investigating the area you'd seen the poisoner last, see if you can help him with anything he may have found after you've rested a bit yourself."

Astrid wanted to say that she wasn't tired but she yawned before she could as two nights of no sleep began to catch up with her, instead she simply nodded, "Yes sir."

Soon she was heading back to Berk along with the two who were fetching the climbing gear.

* * *

Once they'd vanished Stoick made his way over to the two boulders that marked the start of the trail. As he stood looking up it Gobber shuffled over to join him, "How far up do ye think they've gone?"

Stoick kept staring up at the mountain, "Most likely he hasn't gone far, even with the right gear this mountain is far too dangerous to climb, especially on your own. He may even be only slightly further up the trail hoping that we'll go away so he can come back down."

"Maybe we should wait for him to try and get past us. This is the only way off the mountain so he has to come this way at some point."

Stoick shook his head, "If he has stores up there then that could take days Gobber, Snotlout doesn't have that long. We need to capture this person and get a sample of the poison he used as soon as possible, we can't afford to wait any longer than necessary."

Gobber sighed resignedly, "I understand Stoick but ye should do what ye told Astrid to do and rest. Ye haven't slept since this whole thing started and ye need to be at full strength if ye want to take this guy on when ye find him."

"I don't think I can sleep right now Gobber."

The blacksmith was not going to be so easily deterred, "At least sit down for a bit. The guys aren't going to be back with the gear for a while so ye may as well get off yer feet. I'll keep watch with the others and let ye know the moment anything happens."

Stoick considered his friend's suggestion for a moment then relented, "All right Gobber, I'll go and rest by those boulders for a while but you better keep your word."

"I will Stoick." the man assured him, "Ye just let me keep an eye on things for now."

Stoick made his way to the boulders and slowly sat with his back to them. His intention was to keep an eye on the trail from where he sat but despite his previous words he soon found his eyes closing as tiredness caught up to him.

Without realising it he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was his honed battle instincts that saved him once again.

Stoick had been sleeping for some time when he snapped into full wakefulness and rolled away from the boulders. In that same instant a crossbow bolt came out of the blue and struck the rock right where the chief's neck had been moments before. The bolt rebounded off the boulder and stuck in the ground by Stoick's left leg as Vikings ran over to their chief's side. Stoick himself had focused his gaze towards the mountain trying to spot the one who'd fired the bolt, it had to be the assassin and the chief was hoping he'd maybe catch a glimpse and discover their identity. He briefly saw a figure vanish from further up the mountainside but they were too quick for him to see who it was. Gobber was naturally the first to the chief's side, "Stoick, are ye all right?"

The chief had already stood up and brushed of his friend's concerns, "I'm fine Gobber and I managed to get a glimpse of our poisoner."

"Who is it?"

He shook his head, "I didn't see clearly but he's not built like a typical Viking, he's slightly smaller with less bulk and I'm pretty sure he's a man."

"It could be an agent of Alvin's." one of the other men suggested.

Again Stoick shook his head, "I don't think so. Alvin is treacherous but assassination isn't his style, he prefers conquest and I'm certain that he wants to kill me himself, not hire someone else to do it." He picked out two of his warriors, "You two head up the mountain trail and see if you can catch up to him, don't go up too far as it gets dangerous very quickly but try and find out how far up he might be. The men I sent to Berk should be back with proper equipment soon so it won't be long before we're heading up after you."

The two he'd selected nodded and hurried off up the trail as Gobber tried to examine his chief, "That bolt ended up very close to yer leg Stoick, it didn't get ye did it?"

Stoick waved away the blacksmith's concerns, "I'm fine Gobber. It was close but it missed so you don't need to worry about me." He gestured to the rest, "Start overseeing the preparations for heading up the mountain, we'll get going the moment the others return from Berk."

With one last look at his friend Gobber shuffled off to do as he was asked and Stoick carefully checked his leg when no one was looking. As expected he saw a small cut where the bolt had just scraped it and although it was very small and normally not worth bothering with he had a suspicion about it. He quickly let his clothes cover it once more before anyone else saw.

They didn't need to know.

* * *

In Gothi's hut Snotlout was deteriorating fast.

The poison was working quickly and her medicine to control it was getting less and less effective. She'd upped the dose and regularity of it being given but it was getting to the stage where increasing it further would just make things worse. The boy's fevered dreams were now constant and Snotlout was now continually muttering, talking, crying out and sometimes weeping in his delusion-filled coma. The sounds were breaking Gothi's heart as she knew that they were rapidly losing him and whereas before he'd been kind of aware of what was happening around him he now noticed very little. The song that had calmed him before no longer worked and he didn't react to any of his cousin's words nor any sounds made by the two dragons.

Said dragons were also more distressed as they didn't know what was happening to the boy, Hookfang wept whenever Snotlout did and the Nightmare simply couldn't fathom why his rider wasn't getting better. Toothless wasn't much better and he would keep nudging Gothi in a plea for her to fix it while Hiccup continued to care for his younger cousin with an air of desperation.

Gothi herself felt powerless as she watched the boy slip further and further away and she'd begun fervently praying to the gods that Stoick would return with the poison soon letting her cure the dying boy. Without it Snotlout's fate was sealed and the Jorgenson line would be lost forever along with one of Berk's precious children.

They were rapidly running out of time.

* * *

 _ **PS-So time is getting short for Snotlout and the poisoner is still unknown. Keep the theories coming and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	9. Journal

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and here is the next chapter. This one delves even more into my AU history of Berk and we receive some big clues as to the poisoner's identity. Thank you everyone for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Journal**

As ordered Astrid did rest when she got back to Berk, she'd been so tired that even she couldn't convince herself that she could keep going so she went straight home and fell into slumber the moment she got into bed.

Much later she was awoken by a pounding on her front door and as she slowly got her sleep-muddled brain sorted her mother answered it. There was a series of loud voices followed by a pounding of feet upstairs and Ruffnut exploded into her bedroom like a demented whirlwind.

"ASTRID!"

The girl practically dragged her out of bed speaking with incredible rapidity as she did so, "You've got to come with us right now! Fishlegs thinks he's found something!"

Bewildered Astrid found herself being tugged downstairs by the eager twin and she was just about awake enough to feel thankful that she'd fallen asleep fully clothed. Within moments she was outside her house and running after Ruffnut to where Tuffnut was waiting on Barf and Belch, Stormfly was also waiting for her and the Nadder shot over to nuzzle her rider even as Ruffnut buzzed around them impatiently, "C'mon guys! We need to hurry!"

Still not entirely sure what was happening Astrid mounted Stormfly and they all flew upwards towards Gothi's hut.

* * *

True to his word Stoick and his warriors set off up the mountain the moment the men returned with the equipment. Leading the way the chief followed the trail up keeping an eye out for the assassin.

Soon they met the two who'd headed up earlier and they quickly nodded to him, "We didn't catch up to him chief but he's definitely headed up this way. We didn't get a good look but we just saw him vanish around the corner ahead though it wasn't safe to follow him, the trail runs along a sheer cliff and it's very treacherous."

Stoick answered quickly, "Good work lads." He addressed the rest of them, "From here we'll have to rope ourselves together for safety and we need to be careful."

Acknowledging his orders they began roping themselves together and Stoick took the moment to focus his thoughts. Normally that wouldn't be a problem but he could feel his thoughts growing fuzzy at the edges and he had a pretty good idea as to why. Regardless he said nothing about it and took the lead once more as he brought his warriors around the corner and onto the narrow ledge in single file.

It was long and dangerous with barely enough room for one man to shuffle along and with edges that crumbled beneath your feet. They had to stick close to the mountainside as they travelled along and Stoick was well aware of how vulnerable that left them but still they kept going. The chief had become aware of a dull pain lingering around where his leg had been cut and the limb in question was slowly becoming numb, occasionally beads of sweat would trickle down his forehead but he ignored them or wiped them away.

They'd got about halfway along when they heard a rattling from above, looking up they saw a sizable boulder bouncing down the mountainside above. That boulder struck others which rolled and hit more and very soon it became a large landside thundering down towards them.

Stoick quickly worked out the area of effect of the landside and saw that if they moved back they'd easily escape it but it would take out the only path up, Gobber was already moving the warriors back along the ledge as quickly as possible and he yelled to his friend over the noise of the landslide, "We've got to move back out of the path of that landslide!"

At any other time Stoick would agree with Gobber but Snotlout's life depended on him getting a sample of the poison. If the path was destroyed then he couldn't continue on up to do that, yes they had dragons but by the time they got back to Berk, organised the riders, flown back and then searched the mountain it could already be too late for his nephew. On top of that it involved getting Hiccup and the other teens and he was eager to keep them as far away from this assassin as possible.

Decision made Stoick cut the rope holding him to the others and pushed forwards.

"WHAT ARE YE DOING!?"

He ignored Gobber's yell and kept going as the landslide tumbled closer. Moving as quickly as he could the chief shuffled along the ledge causing pieces of it to fall away in his haste, Gobber was still yelling at him from the safe zone on the other side of the ledge but the man knew there was no stopping his friend now. The others watched fearfully as the boulders rapidly descended and in no time at all their chief was blocked from view as the landslide struck the ledge ripping out huge chunks from the mountainside and obliterating the trail completely.

The danger passed quickly and Gobber peered through the settling dust to try and see what happened to Stoick. The air cleared and the blacksmith nearly jumped for joy when he saw his friend alive and well on the other side of the newly created gap, Stoick briefly nodded to him before he vanished around another corner and onwards up the trail.

One of the men spoke to Gobber, "What do we do now?"

The blacksmith answered without hesitation, "We get Hiccup and the other riders and use the dragons to follow him."

* * *

Astrid had arrived with the twins at Gothi's hut to find Fishlegs already there about to speak with Hiccup. Snotlout looked even worse than the last time she'd been here and she quickly glanced him over before speaking to the older boy.

"What've you got Fishlegs?"

The teen waved the book in his hand about excitedly, "When I looked around the area where we saw the poisoner I found this." He practically shoved it into her hands and she began leafing through it as he kept speaking, "It's a journal that I think the poisoner dropped and it's not just any journal…" He beamed at her, "It's the journal of Jorgen himself!"

"Wait." Ruffnut cut in, "You mean the Jorgen that co-founded Berk, was considered one of our greatest warriors and is who all in the Jorgenson clan are descended from?"

Fishlegs nodded furiously, "Yes! I've checked it over several times and I'm certain that it is genuine and Gothi agrees with me."

The Elder nodded from where she was by Snotlout's bed to confirm his words as Hiccup spoke from where he was sat with his cousin, "How does this even help us Fishlegs? Unless Jorgen somehow knew the antidote to the poison and wrote it down his writings are useless."

Fishlegs gestured to Astrid, "Read the last entry."

Jumping straight to the required page Astrid began reading aloud.

" _I can't believe this is how it ends, trapped in the dark to slowly wither away alone. I don't know how long it has been but I had enough food and water to last me three days and it ran out some time ago._

 _I've faced armies, marauding fleets and countless dragons and have always come out victorious. My closest friend and I stood against everything that came at us and together we founded Berk, I still remember the pride I felt when he was named the first chief of our tribe and the joy that was had when we saw the completion of the Great Hall which marked our home as a proper village for future generations._

 _We've both reared families, guided the village and defended it against all threats posed to it. Now though it ends here for me, trapped in a dark pit deep in the mountain caverns and abandoned by the one person who I believed I could always rely on._

 _I don't know how long I have but I barely have enough strength to move this charcoal across the page so it is likely I will soon join my wife. As such I leave a message to my family in hope that it will be found._

 _My dearest son Wolfclaw._

 _As my eldest I leave the burden of carrying my name to you. Do not fear this for I know you will do me proud as you have done so many times already. I am certain that you will keep the fledgling Jorgenson clan strong even without me there to guide you in person, you are a great warrior but remember the codes I taught you that give that title its true meaning._

 _To my daughter Oakrose._

 _I named you for the great trees that covered my homeland and you have demonstrated the strength and beauty they possessed countless times throughout your life. Remember the tales I told you and please cherish them as I did. You're love for you husband and children is strong and I pray it remains that way always, the Hoffersons are fortunate to have you in their clan and you are at your most beautiful when you love others._

 _To my youngest son Snotlout_

 _I loved you dearly my child and you must feel no shame in not being a warrior like your older brother. It takes many kinds to form a true community and family and no talent is greater than another. I know some have scorned you for your love of music but to me it has always been your greatest gift, do not be afraid to sing the songs I taught you for they come from my home and are too beautiful to be lost to time. Your wisdom will help guide Berk into the future and that is just as vital as defending our home._

 _Finally to my oldest friend._

 _We set out north together in search of a better life and we faced many trials throughout our travels. It wasn't easy building a new home for ourselves in such a harsh part of the world but we did so through perseverance, hope and, above all, friendship. We succeeded because we worked together to both create and then defend and I followed you into many dangers trusting that you would have my back._

 _Why then did you abandon me now? Did our long years of friendship finally come to a close or was it all a show on your part and was never as valuable to you as it was to me?_

 _Either way you left me now when I needed you most, you said you'd return with help but you never returned to pull me from this pit and the slow death it brought. You've betrayed the trust I so willingly gave you and now there is only one thing left I can say to you._

 _Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, I, Jorgen, Warrior of Berk…_ "

Astrid stopped reading, "There's nothing more. He must have died before finishing."

There was silence broken only by Snotlout's laboured breathing as they all digested the words that had been read until Hiccup finally spoke quietly, "So that's why this is happening."

Fishlegs slowly nodded, "That page had been marked and I think the poisoner had read it many times, almost obsessively. I think he's trying to settle a very old score."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Astrid exclaimed, "What's the point in killing the chief over this, it happened centuries ago which is far too long to hold a grudge especially since the people involved are both dead."

"Some families can maintain feuds for a long time." Fishlegs pointed out.

"But it still doesn't add up!" The girl insisted, "No one knew about this until now and Snotlout is the only Jorgenson left, the poisoner wouldn't care about this."

"Actually that might not be the case." Fishlegs nervously stated.

Hiccup looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

The older boy hesitated, "I spoke to my dad and with this new information there is possibly someone else who'd care a lot about this, enough to try and kill the chief as punishment for the crime of his ancestor."

Everyone stared at him as they spoke at once.

"Who!?"

* * *

 _ **PS-And I don't give you the name just yet. So does this now radically alter anyone's theories and what do you think of the little bit of my AU of Berk's history. Please let me know and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	10. Revelation

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter. Another check in with Snotlout this time around and we see more of Gothi's thoughts on what has been learned, plus a major surprise right at the end. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Revelation**

Gothi sat alone with Hookfang as they continued their vigil over Snotlout. The boy was getting worse by the hour and hours was all he had left.

The others had flown out towards the mountain after Fishlegs had told them the likely identity of the poisoner and the Elder hoped they got there in time. The revelation given by Jorgen's journal threw a darker tone upon the great tale of the two friends who founded the village. The thought that Berk's first chief, who was considered the perfect example of a leader, abandoned his oldest friend at the very end was sobering. In truth nobody knew exactly how Hiccup Horrendous Haddock I or Jorgen the Warrior died, they just both disappeared from Berk's history during the later years of their lives. They now knew what happened to Jorgen but Gothi was considering counselling against making the knowledge public.

Astrid was right in saying that it all happened too long ago for it to matter but the Elder knew how knowledge of the past could affect the thoughts and actions of those living in the present. There were some who would claim that the actions of the first chief of Berk dishonoured all in the Haddock clan, now Stoick was a well-respected chief but even the best of men had those who disliked them. The tiny minority who didn't like the Haddocks leading the village would jump on anything that could possibly smear the Haddock name, especially if it would stop Hiccup succeeding his father (even now there were those who didn't think he'd be a worthy chief). The events of recently were proof enough of how people could get obsessed with their family history and correcting ancient and forgotten wrongs. Such things could begin to take root in the village and start turning the different clans against each other, some family rivalries were fierce enough already and such a dishonourable event between two of the village founders would only add fuel to the fire as people formed views and opinions.

Another cry from Snotlout pulled her from her thoughts and she refocused on doing what little she could for the boy in her care.

What would and wouldn't be said to the village could come later, saving Snotlout was the far more pressing concern at this moment so she should focus her efforts on keeping him alive long enough to get the antidote. He started moving and thrashing about and Gothi prepared herself.

This was becoming more and more regular as Snotlout sank deeper and deeper into the delusions his coma brought, his movements become violent forcing Hookfang to hold him down to stop him hurting himself. The Nightmare blatantly hated doing so and he was practically crying every time it happened as he couldn't work out why it kept happening. Gothi herself could only sit and watch as it was too dangerous to use any of her usual sleeping potions because of the poison in the boy's body and she hated being able to do nothing as he suffered.

Hookfang was about to hold his rider down once more when suddenly Snotlout calmed and relaxed, he went so still that Gothi instantly checked to see if he was still alive. To her great relief he was but he seemed to have become far more peaceful and now he simply lay still and breathed labouredly.

She sat and waited for the others to return.

* * *

Soft grass, a gentle breeze and the quiet sound of the sea.

Snotlout stood silently wondering where he was, everything had been so chaotic recently but he couldn't think why. All he got was images and emotions that made no sense, voices he felt he should recognise but couldn't remember who they belonged to and feelings that he couldn't quite place or connect to anything.

He looked around and slowly realised that he was on his favourite cliff, the one he always went to when something was troubling him and where his uncle had sat with him all night when he lost his parents. It looked exactly as he expected but some things were slightly different. The grass was far softer then the tough coarse grass which had grown hardy to survive Berk's harsh weather and it felt nice on his bare feet (he wasn't entirely sure where his boots were), the wind wasn't as cold as it usually was and it lightly played with his hair as it gently breezed by and the sea was far stiller with only tiny ripples causing the quiet sound of waves.

All in all it was very peaceful and Snotlout felt strangely calm and unhurried which gently changed to quiet curiosity when he noticed a stranger standing on the cliff edge.

It was a man dressed in light armour with a plain sword strapped across his back, interestingly enough the sword was arranged so it would be drawn by the man's left hand instead of his right and Snotlout could tell from where he was that the weapon was well made and cared for. Hanging from the man's belt was a harp and it took a moment or two for the teen to realise that it was identical to the one he inherited from his mother.

Before he could think about it any further the man turned from where he'd been gazing out to sea and smiled at him.

His eyes were blue and kind which matched the almost fatherly smile upon his lips, his nose was very similar to Snotlout's own and his black hair was clean but uncombed. His build was different from most Vikings in that he lacked the bulk that many had but his muscles were well toned and strong showing that he was no weakling. He had an aura of friendliness about him that made Snotlout feel like he could trust this stranger and he almost felt like he knew this person stood before him.

The man's smile seemed to grow broader, "You most definitely look like a Snotlout."

The teen was unusually unconcerned that this person seemed to know his name as answered curiously, "Who are you?"

"Who do you think I am?"

Snotlout pondered this response for a moment before answering once more, "A friend."

The man's smile grew again and he gestured beside him, "Sit with me for a bit."

Returning the smile Snotlout walked over and sat with his legs hanging over the cliff edge and the man did the same beside him. They sat together in silence for a bit until the teen asked another question, "Where are we?"

The man's answer was cryptic, "A waiting place."

The boy was quite for a moment before speaking once more, "What are we waiting for?"

The man frowned thoughtfully, "Normally I'd be able to tell you that but in this case…" He shrugged, "I don't actually know."

Snotlout nodded quietly and looked out over the ocean again, his companion did the same and together they waited.

* * *

The mountain path grew more treacherous the further Stoick climbed it and it wound its way steeply up the mountain side. It almost constantly had a sheer drop on one side and the chief had already found the place where his enemy had started the avalanche that destroyed the lower part of the trail.

As he climbed he was very aware of his numb leg and the fact that it was getting harder for him to keep his thoughts focused. The numbness had started to spread beyond his leg and he could feel the beginnings of a fever in his now sore head, occasionally his vision blurred but he quickly recovered it before it became too much of a problem.

The crossbow bolt had indeed been poisoned as he'd thought.

He must have only received a tiny amount from the small cut otherwise he'd have been unconscious already but it was having a noticeable effect on him. However Snotlout needed him to get a sizable sample of the poison for an antidote so he pressed onwards despite his worsening condition. As he'd proven many times before he was as stubborn as they came and if he had to fight through this through sheer will then he would, nothing was going to keep him from his goal.

He'd remained as alert as possible for more traps from the assassin as he'd forged upwards but none had appeared so far and he assumed that they were either creating a particularly big one further ahead or had run out of ideas and were preparing themselves for a head to head confrontation. Stoick himself was erring more towards the second option and he was looking forward to seeing his would be killer face to face, no doubt he'd get some answers as to why they'd started trying to kill him in the first place.

Hauling himself up a series of stone shelves he soon climbed onto a wide ledge far above the base of the cliff he'd just climbed, near the back of the ledge was a broad cave entrance and Stoick knew that was the place he'd find the poisoner. Without hesitation he strode forwards into the cave.

* * *

Not very far in he came to a large cavern that had clear signs of habitation. Several supplies were piled in the corner beside a couple of blankets which had been laid out as a bed. Beside this was a crossbow of a slightly unfamiliar design along with more of the bolts it fired. To one side was a strange looking jar with a carefully sealed top which the chief was certain held the poison he was looking for.

Checking himself from rushing towards it Stoick readied the axe he'd carried with him and spoke loudly into the cave, "I know you're here so show yourself."

There was a long silence until a familiar voice finally answered him, "You should've died several times already Stoick." This was followed by a sigh, "But in a way I should've realised that this was the way it was going to be, truthfully only a face to face confrontation would truly settle the score."

"Then come out so we are face to face." Stoick challenged.

There was the sound of footsteps and a man slowly materialised into the light. Upon seeing his face Stoick's eyes widened and he nearly dropped his weapon in shock.

"Spitelout!"

* * *

 _ **PS-So what do you think of that plot twist? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	11. Conflict

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. We start right after the end of the previous one and we get a good bit of action this time around. Now this isn't a sequel to Homo-Draconis and Glacial Bloom but it is connected so see if you can spot the connection in this chapter. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Conflict**

"Spitelout!?"

Stoick couldn't believe it, he'd seen his brother in law's broken body, he'd watched as it was laid alongside Helga's on the ship and he'd fired the first burning arrow that set light to that same ship.

Spitelout had been absolutely, without a doubt dead so his appearance before him was completely impossible.

Spitelout seemed to glower with rage at the use of his name but the look quickly vanished and was replaced with one of grim determination, "Did you think I was gone Stoick? We Jorgenson's are hard to kill and we always repay any wrong done to us."

As he drew a sword and advanced slowly Stoick tried to reason with him, "Spitelout…"

"I don't care!" Spitelout snapped, "I have no interest in the lies of a Haddock! Your family are traitors who have no right to lead Berk, I'll show everyone the traitors you are once you and your family have paid the price for Hiccup's sin!"

Stoick's fogged mind tried to work out what he meant, what had Hiccup done? He pushed it aside, Spitelout meant to kill Hiccup after him so he could not let that happen. His vision blurred again and a wave of dizziness washed over him, as he staggered Spitelout seemed to morph into someone else before he was his brother-in-law once again. He unsteadily readied his axe just as Spitelout swung his sword at him.

Stoick awkwardly deflected the swing trying his best to fight off the effects of the poison, another swing caused him to take several steps back and Spitelout mocked him, "What's wrong _Chief_ , have you lost your skills over the years?" He came in for another blow which the chief once again just about deflected, "Maybe coddling that runt of yours has wasted your fighting ability or perhaps your talents in combat are more Haddock lies."

Stoick managed to parry another blow, When had Spitelout become so strong? He'd been a warrior but that blow was far beyond anything that he'd felt before even taking into account the poison weakening him. Stoick swung in for a blow of his own but it was half-hearted. Despite what the man before him had tried to do he was still Snotlout's father, Stoick couldn't just kill him. He was sure that if Spitelout only knew that Snotlout was dying he'd let up in his attack to at least save the boy's life, even then the chief would be reluctant to take the man's life as he was certain Snotlout wouldn't be able to take losing his father a second time.

Spitelout blocked the blow easily but moved back slightly given Stoick a chance to speak, "Please, Snotlout is…"

"Don't you dare talk about him!" Spitelout pressed forward in another attack, "You had no right to take Snotlout as yours, he is a Jorgenson and yet you've tried to turn him into a Haddock!" His blows became harder and Stoick was once again shocked by how much power they had, "I don't know what ways you've brainwashed him or how you've lied to him but once you're dead I'll set him free from you and give him the upbringing he deserves! Not a life as a mere lackey to that scrawny rat you call a son!"

Stoick's anger bubbled forth and he pushed back with an aggressive counter attack despite the fact that his limbs felt heavy and tired, "I've never treated Snotlout as less than Hiccup! He's always been cared for as family and been taught that he can have pride in being a part of the Jorgenson clan!"

Dizziness once again enveloped him and he found himself being pushed ruthlessly back, Spitelout seemed to flicker between two different people even as he verbally responded to Stoick's words, "More lies! I've been watching Berk for weeks and I've seen how you and your son have lied to the tribe. Convincing them that dragons can be our friends, HAH! That Outcast attack was just too conveniently timed for when the village started to see those beasts for what they are. You arranged that assault to restore their 'faith' in those dragons, no doubt to curry favour with them so they'll want your bloodline in charge. I'm sure you've beaten Snotlout down when they couldn't see you to force him to follow your plans and you've made sure that the rest of the Jorgenson clan have died off leaving your biggest competition unable to challenge your clan."

Stoick was panting heavily and sweat was pouring down his fevered brow but he still could formulate an answer, "You're wrong Spitelout. Making peace with the dragons has been the best thing for the village in years and that has always been the goal of the Haddock clan, doing what is best for Berk."

"THEN WHY DO THE HADDOCKS ALWAYS END UP ON TOP!"

Spitelout's blows became almost frenzied in his rage, "Throughout our history the Haddock clan has always held power but the Jorgensons are the ones who truly deserve to lead. We are the strongest! We are the warriors! We are the ones who bleed the most to defend Berk! We are the ones who've fought off countless dragons and foes! We are the reason Berk even exists at all so we should be the ones to lead it! The Haddocks are nothing but the descendants of a traitor!"

Spitelout's attack had been so aggressive that it had pushed Stoick out of the cave and onto the ledge. The chief had barely managed to survive the assault and he suddenly found his legs giving way causing him to fall to his knees. He held up his axe defensively but another strike from Spitelout shattered it into pieces that fell from his weakened hands. His vision slid in and out of focus wildly and he stared up at Spitelout dumfounded at how much strength he now possessed. Spitelout himself seemed to have realised that Stoick was now too weak to defend himself and he began savouring the final blow, "But now I'll fix everything, with you dead Snotlout will be free once again and I'll punish every single member of the Haddock clan for Hiccup's betrayal. With them gone the Jorgensons can take their rightful place as leaders and I'll make our clan the greatest in the Archipelago. Jorgen will be avenged at last." He smiled, "Just as that woman said, with the strength she gave me I can do anything."

"DAD!"

Regardless of his rapidly deteriorating health Stoick instantly recognised the voice of his son and he looked up to see the dark blur of Toothless in the sky. The dragon dived with his signature screech and the following plasma blast forced Spitelout to leap backwards. Other dragons joined the fight and they kept up the fire blasts as Toothless landed and Hiccup leapt off to run to his father, "Dad!"

With shaking hands Stoick tried to push him away, "Hiccup…you need to go."

As always Hiccup was stubborn and he ignored his father's words and tried to pull him towards Toothless, "No! I need to get you back to Gothi, it's obvious that you need her help right now."

"You're not going anywhere!"

The form of Spitelout charged through the flames of the other dragons with is sword poised to stab right into Hiccup's defenceless body. Time slowed and suddenly Stoick saw everything with perfect clarity. Hiccup instinctively beginning to duck, Toothless pouncing towards the man with a ferocious snarl, the other riders crying out in alarm and fear and Spitelout's crazed expression of murderous joy though he suddenly didn't look like Spitelout at all.

Time jumped back to normal and Stoick found himself diving forward right towards Spitelout with all the strength he had left as he gave forth a mighty bellow.

"SPITELOUT!"

He tackled the man with great ferocity as he punched the sword to the side, Spitelout crashed to the ground and he landed with such force that he rolled across his own weapon causing it to cut him deeply all over his torso.

He looked up into Stoick's eyes his expression one of disbelief and shock, "The poison…was on…my…blade." He glanced down at his bloodied clothes before looking up and holding a hand towards the sky, "Jorgen…I'm…sorry."

The hand limply fell as his eyes slid shut and he gave one last breath before going still never to move again.

Stoick looked away from the body to stare at the floor.

He'd just killed Spitelout. He'd just killed his nephew's father, how could he live with himself now knowing that he'd taken Snotlout's father away from him. He had no right to be the boy's uncle, he had no right to be Hiccup's father.

"Spitelout…"

Hiccup grabbed his shoulder, "Dad, look again, It's not Spitelout!"

Stoick stared at his son through his rapidly darkening eyes. What did he mean it wasn't Spitelout?

Hiccup shook him slightly his voice desperate, "Please dad just look! Whatever is wrong with you has been tricking your eyes, you weren't fighting Spitelout!"

Responding to his son's desperate plea he looked once more at Spitelout's body and discovered that it was indeed not his brother-in-law but another member of the Jorgenson clan who'd left Berk many years ago.

"Wolflout…"

Then the poison finally caught up with him and Stoick collapsed sideways as darkness claimed him.

* * *

 _ **PS-So we hit the aftermath next time and a couple of other things will be answered. Please let me know what you thought and if you spotted the connection to the other stories in this chapter and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	12. Wolflout

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one is entirely with Snotlout and we find out a great deal of what's been behind everything that's happened in this story. I also have another story set in this AU on the go called 'Helpless' you guys could have a look at if you wish. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Wolflout**

Snotlout and the man sat on the edge of the cliff in comfortable silence until Snotlout sensed that someone was standing behind them, turning the teen looked at the newcomer.

He didn't know who it was but he seemed somewhat familiar, he had dark hair like him but it was much longer and hung in a braid down the stranger's back. His build was similar to the man Snotlout was sat with but he was a bit taller and he didn't have the other man's aura of friendliness. Instead he almost seemed ashamed and the teen wondered why the new man felt like that.

The stranger's eyes fell on him and his expression turned briefly into one of shock and then it softened, "So you're Snotlout. I knew about you but I never got the chance to actually see you." He sighed, "My own fault really."

Snotlout was confused as to how this person knew him but the man sat beside him spoke before he could say anything.

"So you can still recognise members of your own clan even now." A pause, "That's a good sign Wolflout."

He stood and turned allowing Wolflout to see his face and the other man's eyes widened before he slightly averted them, "It's you isn't it?"

The first man gave him a small smile, "It is."

Wolflout looked down in what appeared to be shame, "I'm sorry I didn't fulfil my vow."

The first man's face went serious, "Why do think that I wanted you to fulfil it?"

Wolflout looked up at him in shock, "But the message! You were going to…"

"I wasn't going to finish the way you thought Wolflout. It was a message not of vengeance but forgiveness." His serious expression turned into another small smile, "Either way it didn't matter, it was fate that made the decision not my friend so he has no part in the blame for what happened to me. Sometimes nature takes back at the worst moments."

Wolflout's shock grew, "So you mean…?"

The man nodded, "There was no betrayal, nature claimed him before he could keep his promise and that is what truly happened."

If anything Wolflout's shame increased and he fell to his knees before the man, "Then I must apologise for all my wrongs."

The man held up his hand, "It's not me you should be apologising to. I'm sure you've realised why it is we can even be talking so in light of your actions I am equally certain that you can understand why it is that Snotlout is here to see our conversation."

Wolflout turned his gaze upon Snotlout and fear crossed his face, "Did I..?"

"No." The man quickly responded, "As far as I understand it Snotlout will actually be going back soon, thanks to the efforts of a certain elder called Gothi as well as the actions of several others. However it was your foolish desires that led to the conditions which allowed him to come here far sooner than I'd like. Even if that had not happened he would've lost so much of what was precious to him and you'd have caused him so much pain had you succeeded. Therefore I believe that you must make amends with the only other member of your clan whom you've done so much to."

With these words the man retreated slightly leaving Snotlout standing before the still kneeling Wolflout. He was very unsure as to what was going on but he felt that he had to hear Wolflout's words even if he didn't understand why he was speaking to him.

They remained silent for a long time until Wolflout finally spoke, "In all honesty I'm not sure where to begin." He sighed, "You may not know this but I am actually your father's younger brother. Spitelout was always the perfect Jorgenson, heir to the family name and the absolute image of what we believed our clan should be. Because of this he was always highly regarded by our family and our father loved him dearly, of course he pushed Spitelout hard to be the best but that was how things had always been in our clan as far back as we could remember. Me on the other hand I was a different story, while I wasn't a weakling I was always smaller and not as strong as my brother. In a way I was a male version of my mother and took after her in many things the way my sister Valka did, however this was not what a Jorgenson man was supposed to be and my father pushed me harder. He always held Spitelout up as the example I should follow and would hammer into me every great deed and feat of strength that our ancestors had done. From this came a fierce pride in my family name and a desire to reach the heights of my predecessors, eventually as time passed and I grew older I came to realise that I would never achieve my in Berk for I would always be in Spitelout's shadow. Instead I travelled away seeking new places and new peoples in the hope that when I returned I'd have done something that not even my brother had."

He closed his eyes sadly, "But I never did and as the years went by I began to fear that I'd never do what I so badly wanted to do." His eyes reopened though they were distant as he remembered events from the past, "Then I found someone who claimed that they could greatly increase my strength, making me stronger than even my brother. At first I was hesitant but the more they pressed the more it appealed to me and eventually I agreed to give it a try." He shuddered, "The process was long and painful and many times I felt that I would die but I pushed through it all and as promised I came out far stronger than I had been. Believing the strength to be enough to fulfil my lifelong dream I turned my journeys towards Berk. As I travelled I found the journal in the hands of a trader of sorts known as Viggo Grimborn. He apparently bought it as a boy off of a merchant because it looked interesting but since he was not from Berk he had no idea who Jorgen actually was, in fact he didn't even realise that our village actually existed. Knowing its value to our clan I bought the journal and continued on back to Berk intending to bring it back to the Jorgenson's where it belonged. Then I read the last entry and I discovered what I thought to be one of Berk's most terrible crimes against our family. Anger burned inside me and it turned into a hatred of those descended from the one I thought had committed the treachery. With the poison I'd found on my travels I laid a plan to dole out what I considered justice and that was when you became involved."

Tears began to fall, "I didn't realise until now that my attempt on Stoick's life had actually affected you. That you were the one who drank the poison instead of him. I nearly destroyed the only other member of my clan left because of an event that happened centuries ago because I didn't understand what my own ancestor had written." Wolflout bowed his head in sorrow, "I don't know what madness lead my heart down such a dark path but I now understand just how much I could've destroyed, both in the village and our own clan." He lifted his eyes to Snotlout his regret clearly showing, "I may not deserve it but now I ask you, the last Jorgenson, to forgive my sins against you and the village our family have always been loyal to."

The silence stretched out as Snotlout tried hard to get his mind around everything that had just been said and the whole time Wolflout looked up at him with desperation. Finally the boy managed to speak, "I'm don't fully understand everything you've just confessed but going by your name and what you've said I'm certain that you're a Jorgenson as well. Is that right?"

Wolflout slowly nodded, "Yes."

Snotlout smiled, "Then of course I forgive you."

Wolflout smiled tearfully relief and gratitude beaming from his face, "Thank you. The Jorgenson name is in good hands."

As he stood the other name re-joined them and placed a hand on Wolflout's shoulder, "It's time to go now."

The Jorgenson nodded and slowly turned away and the other man walked with him away from Snotlout. The teen called out to the man he still didn't know the name of, "Where are you going?"

The man turned back and smiled, "I can't tell you exactly but it's not somewhere you can follow us to yet."

"Then where do I go?"

His smile grew broader, "You've got a different path to take but don't worry I'm sure you'll be fine." He seemed to think for a moment before speaking again, "Now Snotlout, this is pretty far in advanced but what I'm about to say I want you to remember, even though much of what happened here you'll forget." He became serious as he said the next sentence.

"It wasn't coincidence that you bonded with a Monstrous Nightmare."

He smiled once more, "Well I need to head off with Wolflout but I think someone is calling you."

Snotlout was confused at this then he heard the faint voice of Hiccup calling his name and he turned his head in its direction. He looked back to see the man practically grinning at him, "You best find out what your cousin wants. Trust me, in this particular case you don't want to keep him waiting." He gestured with his head in the direction of Hiccup's voice before saying one last thing, "We should be going and so should you. It's been a pleasure to meet you but I do hope that I won't see you again for some time."

He winked and continued off with Wolflout. Snotlout stood confused for a moment before turning away and running towards his cousin's voice.

* * *

 _ **PS-And so we discover the truth as it were and I'm sure most of you can guess what the next chapter will be about. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	13. Awakening

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the final chapter of Ties of Family. Thank you everyone for your ongoing support through reviews, follows, etc. and I hope this ending is satisfactory for you all. Please check out my other stories if you haven't, especially 'Helpless' and 'Family of Iron' which are still being updated. I think the next story I'll write for this verse will be the sequel to 'Homo-Draconis', it'll be set during RTTE and will be my first story set during that particular part of the timeline. Thank you again for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Awakening**

As Snotlout ran towards Hiccup's voice everything he'd just experienced began to slip away the sound of the sea, the gentle breeze, the face of the strange man he'd just been speaking to, all of it disappeared as he moved forward.

He was now running through darkness and it felt like an uphill climb as his limbs suddenly started to feel heavy. His movements became more sluggish and it felt less like running and more like climbing, gradually he realised that he wasn't actually moving at all but was on his back in what felt like a bed. Hiccup's voice was now far louder and he could identify his cousin's words, "C'mon Snotlout wake up."

Hiccup's voice was tinged with desperation and Snotlout was confused as to why Hiccup made him waking up sound so important. Despite this Snotlout knew his cousin wouldn't be happy until he did wake up so he went to open his eyes. For some reason his eyelids seemed far heavier than usual and it was an immense effort to get them open.

Everything was blurry and out of focus when he finally succeeded and all he could see were three shadowy things against a dark brown blob of a roof. Gradually everything became clearer and he identified the relieved, grinning faces of Hiccup, Hookfang and Toothless. Snotlout spoke, wondering why his throat felt strange as he did so, "Hey guys."

* * *

When Snotlout finally opened his eyes and spoke it was all Hiccup could do to stop himself leaping on his cousin and giving him a huge hug.

It had been far too close and they'd only just got back to Gothi with the poison and his father in time. Hiccup's dad had pushed himself to the limit in his determination to save his nephew and he'd been almost as close to death as Snotlout had been. Fortunately Gothi was no slouch when it came to brewing potions and medicines and she'd whipped up an antidote by using the poison they'd brought back in record time, this had been immediately administered to both boy and man and they began slowly moving up the road to recovery.

That had been over a day ago and Hiccup had been waiting fearfully beside both of them for them to finally awaken. Hiccup grinned at Snotlout's words and was about to speak when a loud voice sounded from behind him, "Is that Snotlout awake?"

Hiccup turned to his father who was sitting up in a makeshift bed on the other side of the room fixing his son with a look that demanded an immediate response.

Stoick had woken up a couple of hours ago as he recovered slightly quicker than his nephew and he'd been waiting for Snotlout to wake along with his son.

Hiccup quickly moved aside to let his father see his conscious nephew and the man beamed with joy, "Snotlout!"

For his part Snotlout looked confused, "Uncle! Why are you bed?"

"Because he's a blockheaded numpty!"

It was Gobber who'd made that statement and the blacksmith shambled into the hut towards them, the man stood between the two beds and grinned down at Snotlout but gave Stoick a glare as the chief protested against his friend's prior words, "Gobber, I was…"

"Don't ye say another word! What ye did was incredibly stupid an' there's no denying it."

Now there were only two people in all of Berk who could talk back and yell at Stoick the Vast in such a manner and they were Gothi and Gobber, both of whom were very unimpressed with the way the chief had risked his life recently. Gobber had already made his feelings clear and had spent the better part of an hour telling his friend that while he understood why and was ecstatic that Snotlout had been saved, he would've much preferred it if Stoick had told him that the crossbow bolt had been poisoned and he was slowly dying. The blacksmith was still unhappy with him even after he'd finished his rant and Hiccup had a feeling that his father now owed Gobber big time for making him worry so much.

Gothi was likely of a similar mind and she'd already used her mean staff swing on the chief when he'd tried to get out of bed claiming that he was fine. No doubt he'd have a lot of reading to do later when the mute elder scribbled out her long and colourful lecture as she vented her feelings on his recklessness.

Snotlout halted the two friends impending debate by asking another question, "What do you mean? What happened?"

There was a long awkward silence as everyone else unwillingly remembered the events of the last few days and Snotlout looked to Stoick worriedly, "Uncle?"

Stoick looked to Hiccup who gave an almost imperceptible nod, Snotlout needed to know and it was probably better to tell him sooner rather than later. The chief sighed and took a moment to collect his thoughts before he and Hiccup told the story of everything that had happened since the night of the feast.

* * *

It was much later and Snotlout lay awake in Gothi's house as he thought over everything he'd been told.

He was finding it hard to believe that he'd spent the last few days clinging to life after being poisoned and by a member of his own clan no less. He may have not been the intended victim but the fact that a Jorgenson would want to kill Berk's chief was upsetting news.

At least it should've been.

For some reason Snotlout didn't feel as shocked or upset by it as he thought he would've done. Yes it was terrible that the only other member of his clan betrayed Berk in such a way but it felt like he'd already dealt with all the emotions attached to it. When they'd mentioned Wolflout he hadn't been angry at the man but instead it was like he'd already forgiven him for his crimes. Perhaps it was because he'd woken up at the end and there was no longer any point being angry or upset because his plan had failed and it was all finished with.

The front door gently creaked and Hiccup padded in quietly so as not to disturbed his father who was sleeping in the other bed. He sat in the seat at his cousin's bedside and smiled at him. He'd likely just come back from telling the other riders and village the good news that both Snotlout and the chief were going to recover and would be up and about in a day or two. Gothi had insisted on keeping them on bedrest for a little longer just in case there were any complications but she was confident that they'd both fully recover without any issues.

Snotlout eyed the book Hiccup had brought with him, "Is that the journal?"

Hiccup nodded, "Fishlegs gave it to me. He said that since you were a Jorgenson you had more right than anyone in the village to keep it and asked me to give it to you since Gothi isn't letting many people visit at the moment." Hiccup looked down at it, "He thought you'd find it interesting and it would give you something to do until you're allowed to be up and about." He sighed, "Of course he doesn't know how much difficulty you have with literacy and I wasn't about to tell him." Hiccup smiled, "I thought that instead I could read it to you because we both know Fishlegs will ask you all about it next time you see him."

Snotlout grinned back, "Thanks Hiccup."

The older cousin nodded in acknowledgement and opened the journal to begin reading as Snotlout moved into a more comfortable position to listen. Quietly Hiccup began to read.

" _Day one…is that really the best way to start this journal? Maybe chapter one or prologue…actually that makes it sound like a book. I should probably just go with the day and date…but what if I have two entries on the same day? That could make things complicated and then if anyone reads it they'll get confused. Then again I don't actually want anyone to read it so it probably doesn't matter so I could always just go for…_

 _This is ridiculous! That was a rubbish way to start this record of my journey so let's just restart and forget everything I just said…though that will be difficult because it was actually written and I can't erase it without leaving huge untidy scribbles over my journal._

 _Oh well that opening will have to do, let's just hope no one reads this and thinks I'm an idiot._

 _Anyway, it is the evening of the first day of my voyage north upon the Winter Wolf. It is a trading vessel that is seeking to trade its southern products with the high quality furs that many of the northern tribes make from the beasts in their harsh islands. I am greatly excited at this new chapter in my life and I am looking forward to meeting the peoples who use the very writing that I have inked these words in. They are apparently great fighters and I hope I can learn their skills in my own journey as a warrior. Today has been light and joyful as we started out and…_ "

* * *

Behind the door to her own little room Gothi smiled as she heard the two boys laughing at Jorgen's rather unintentional ramble of an opening and she cherished the sound knowing how close it had been to never being heard again. Family ties were a powerful force and the elder was glad that Snotlout still had those ties despite being the only member of his clan left. He could've so easily cast them aside and gone the way of Wolflout when he heard about why the man had done what he had but instead his bond to Stoick and Hiccup had remained strong.

Her smile grew thoughtful, she'd actually briefly looked through the journal herself and she found herself thinking that Snotlout and Hiccup shared a very similar bond to the one between their respective ancestors and she was glad that Berk had such a relationship upon it once more. If Jorgen and Hiccup I had created a village then the two cousins were equally capable of doing something great and with the other riders that ability only grew.

Berk was in for some very interesting times.

* * *

 _ **PS-For some of those interesting times check out some of my other stories. Please let me know what you thought and hopefully the sequel to Homo-Draconis will be up soon.**_


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